Former batter and captain Sanath Jayasuriya has been appointed as the coach of the Sri Lankan cricket team on a permanent basis. He had held the interim role during the series against India, England and New Zealand.
Jayasuriya’s appointment comes into effect from 1 October and runs until 31 March, 2026, Sri Lanka Cricket said in a social media post.
The post on X read, “Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of Sanath Jayasuriya as the head coach of the national team.
“The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket made this decision taking into consideration the team’s good performances in the recent tours against India, England, and New Zealand, where Jayasuriya was in charge as the ‘interim head coach.’.
The appointment came into effect on October 1, 2024, and will remain until March 31, 2026.”
Under Jayasuriya’s apprenticeship, Sri Lanka beat India 2-0 in the ODIs and more recently clinched the Test series against New Zealand by the same margin. In between the islanders lost 1-2 in England but not without giving serious competition.
Jayasuriya’s previous role with the team, which preceded his two-year-ban under the ICC’s anti-corruption code, was as the chief selector. He held that position in two separate stints.
The 55-year-old’s first assignment as head coach will be the forthcoming limited-overs matches against West Indies.
Sri Lanka had been without a permanent coach since Chris Silverwood stepped down in June after two years in the job. The Englishman’s last involvement was the T20 World Cup where Sri Lanka bowed out in the group stage, losing to South Africa and Bangladesh.
